Location, location, location. It affects much more than home prices. It also appears to influence whether you have elective surgery. Data collected on Medicare patients across the country found that the number of such surgeries varies widely by region. The numbers, from 2003 through 2007, included rates of bypass surgery, gall bladder removal, back surgery and other procedures offered to patients as an option. The report was released Thursday by the Dartmouth Atlas Project and the Foundation for Informed Medical Decisions.

Annual mammograms: Have you had yours lately? For women in their 40s, a new study suggests that annual mammograms may reduce the risk of having a mastectomy. Preliminary findings of a British study of 971 women between 40 and 50 years old who had been diagnosed with breast cancer were presented Thursday at the annual Radiological Society of North America meeting in Chicago. For those who had had a mammogram in the prior year, only 19% were treated with a mastectomy. However, 46% of the women who weren’t screened had a mastectomy, the study says.

Pink ribbons, really anything pink, have become powerful symbols in the fight against breast cancer in which women need to be on the lookout for early signs of the disease. But what about men? This year an estimated 210,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer — a diagnosis 2,000 men also will receive, according to a story in the Chicago Tribune. "It never occurs to men that we can get breast cancer," said Val Lucier, who had a fast-growing cancer and underwent a mastectomy.

The choice to remove a healthy breast in order to avoid breast cancer is a deeply personal decision -- one that appears to be on the upswing in a specific segment of cancer patients, although there's little evidence to suggest it improves survival. A study published Monday in the journal Cancer found that among women who had cancer in one breast, the number who opted to have the other breast removed, called contralateral prophylactic mastectomy, increased from 1995 through 2005 in New York state.

Our king-size bed used to be such a symbol of fun for me, and not just for the reason you might think. My husband of 18 years and I would randomly hide silly objects -- tissue boxes, books, even alarm clocks -- on each other's side of the bed, smoothing pillows and blankets to hide the bulge from the intended victim. There was no greater thrill than hearing a surprised yelp followed by, "Nice one!"

Christina Applegate is taking the long view of her battle with breast cancer -- the really long view. Speaking on ABC News' "Good Morning America" in her first interview since announcing her diagnosis earlier this month, the "Samantha Who?" star said she had a double mastectomy three weeks ago. She'll undergo reconstructive surgery over the next eight months. "I'm going to have cute boobs 'til I'm 90, so there's that," she joked in the interview, which aired Tuesday. The 36-year-old actress elected to remove both breasts even though the disease was contained in one breast.

A growing number of women with early-stage breast cancer seem to be choosing to have the whole breast removed instead of just the cancerous lump, a Mayo Clinic study of about 5,500 women found. Mastectomies were standard treatment until 1990, when studies showed that women whose cancers were small and confined to the breast did just as well if they had less radical surgery followed by radiation. Researchers are not sure what is responsible for the new trend, but speculate that newer tests like MRI scans are finding more cancers, or flagging so many suspicious spots that women want the breast removed for peace of mind.

The number of women having both breasts removed after a tumor is found in one increased by 150% over a five-year period, despite a lack of evidence that double mastectomies increase survival in most women, researchers reported Monday. Current guidelines for treatment of a localized breast cancer call only for removal of the tumor and not for a mastectomy, much less a double mastectomy.

seoul -- A South Korean court on Friday ordered the military to reinstate one of its first female helicopter pilots, discharged after she had a double mastectomy to treat breast cancer. The case has been a rallying point for women's rights activists and cancer groups who said she was the victim of antiquated and biased regulations. The Seoul Administrative Court ordered the Defense Ministry to reinstate retired Col. Pi Woo-jin.

When she heard the diagnosis of invasive lobular carcinoma, Darrie Eason had but one thought: Please don't let me die. Four months and a double mastectomy later, doctors told Eason that her tissue sample had been mislabeled, and that she never had cancer. "I didn't know what to believe," said Eason, a 35-year-old single mother from Long Beach, N.Y. "They told me I had cancer, and now they're telling me I didn't.